Sweet, little Cola was found on the side of a rural road with a leg so seriously injured she needed amputation surgery. This little fighter with the snuggly personality had the most beautiful, trusting spirit. She happily let the staff at the veterinary clinic she was rushed to work hard to save her. Then she embraced all the bandage changes and new people, sights and sounds of the BC SPCA’s North Peace animal centre with a resiliency that inspired everyone around her.
Including her foster, Hailey. “I work at the veterinary clinic where they brought Cola. I watched her fight to survive her injuries,” she says. “It was touch and go for a while. We didn’t know if she was going to make it.”
Hailey says she was a little hesitant at first to foster Cola. She recently adopted two cats when she was asked to give her a temporary home while she waited for her amputation surgery. “We just brought Tangent and Trigonometry home a few months ago and I was worried about how they would all deal with bringing another new cat into the home so soon, but when I showed my boyfriend a picture of this beautiful calico cat and I told him her story, he said we had to give it a try, and I wholeheartedly agreed.”
Hailey says that Cola, who they have renamed Trunks, was, not surprisingly, friendly, playful, and loving from day one, even as she tried to cope with her injured leg. “Before the amputation surgery, she was not as mobile. There was no nerve function in her leg, and she didn’t know how to run or jump with it,” she says. “Now that she has had the surgery, she moves so much better.” She adds that Trunks healed amazingly fast and was the best patient.
It did not take long for Hailey to realize that Trunks had found her forever home. “We just clicked so fast,” she says. “She is my shadow and follows me around wherever I go. She is quite different from our two other cats, who don’t play that much and don’t like to be handled.”
But that is changing. “Tangent was feral when we first got her and wouldn’t let us hold her,” says Hailey. “She has been watching Trunks and how she interacts with us and now she lets us pick her up and move from room to room with her in our arms. She had never let us do that before.” She adds that Tangent was watching Trunks jump up on Hailey’s lap and now she does that too. “Trigonometry, who is also a three-legged cat, is a little more independent than Tangent. She is still a little unsure of Trunks, as is Trio our six-year-old dog. Trunks is learning about boundaries.”
Hailey is so happy about her foster fail. “Trunks has changed the energy of our home.” She explains that they can hear Trunks and the other cats running throughout the house during the night. Then they will come upstairs and hang out with them on the bed. “They never did that before Trunks came into our lives,” she says. “This little cat is just pure love, and she shines that light on everyone.”
Tiny kitten found on side of road with severely injured leg needs amputation surgery
Original story: September 26, 2024
Cola, as named by BC SPCA staff, is an eleven-week-old kitten who was found on the side of a rural road in Montney, approximately 24 kilometres north of Fort St. John. Her leg was degloved, meaning that the skin and the tissue on her leg were removed. Her kind finders rushed her to a veterinary clinic, who contacted the BC SPCA’s North Peace animal centre in Fort St. John.
“We were happy to take Cola into our care and cover the costs of her treatment,” says Sara Hamanishi, manager of the BC SPCA’s North Peace animal centre. Cola needed to stay overnight in the veterinary clinic where she was given fluids, pain medication and her leg was x-rayed.
After examining Cola, the veterinarian determined that she had no nerve function in her leg and will require amputation surgery. “Her leg was bandaged, and she was put on kennel rest until she can have the surgery,” adds Hamanishi. “She needs frequent bandage changes here at the animal centre to help keep her leg from getting infected.”
Hamanishi says that they don’t know exactly how Cola was injured but degloving can often occur when a cat is hit by a car or is attacked by an animal.
“Cola is a delightful kitten with a sweet and snuggly personality who loves cuddling,” says Hamanishi. “She is playful and spirited and enjoys her toys.”
She says Cola is remarkably tolerant during bandage changes, highlighting her trusting nature and her resilience and cheerful disposition make her an inspiration to everyone around her. “She is such a little fighter with the strongest spirit. She is up for any challenge she faces.”